MISSILL Live in the virtual world of Second Life® and Rennes France!

I have embedded the video at 960x540 to fit it on the page:

<object width="960" height="540"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/vwRQVqnItOI&ap=%2526fmt%3D22></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/vwRQVqnItOI&ap=%2526fmt%3D22" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="960" height="540"></embed></object>

To show the code: remove the left and right angle brackets at beginning and end of code, then use the HTML for those brackets: < and >
or look at Felgall's converter.. waaaay cool! http://www.felgall.com/htmlt47.htm

Watch the HD 720p version on YouTube: click the ‘Watch in HD’ link below the youtube player:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwRQVqnItOI&fmt=22

Configuring the newsreel in Blogger

blogger_configure_newsreel, originally uploaded by HVX Silverstar.

for my news for avatars newsreel, I used the following keywords:
Second Life, Linden Labs, machinima,
then gave it a cool heading. I like the idea of motion on a page.. but not much of it. The slideshow of images is set to pull up any images I have on Flickr that are tagged with the word 'machinima'. However, I have noticed that it only seems to pull from the last set that has been tagged with it.

YouTube in HD: Embedding the 720p video into your blog

So, grab the embed code from YouTube and remve all excess code from the base URL for the video, beginning with the ampersand '&'
e.g: You should have something like this remaining: http://www.youtube.com/v/wGugqIb5880
Now, add the following code to the end of the URL: &ap=%2526fmt%3D22
the 22 represent the 720p
18 is for the high quality version (not HD version).
The video below is being displayed at 960x540 in order to fit it into the space. It will however display in full resolution.

Watch on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGugqIb5880&fmt=22

Example: Embedding the code created in the earlier post

Here are the results of the edited youtube embed code:
http://machinimalibrarians.blogspot.com/2008/12/testing.html


View on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRoyYJqc_0c&fmt=18
Watch in normal view (slower connections):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRoyYJqc_0c



View on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nJVF9gzqkE&fmt=18
Watch in normal view (slower connections):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nJVF9gzqkE

Embedding the Karuna Machinma in high quality by editing the YouTube embed code...

View on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRoyYJqc_0c&fmt=18



View on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nJVF9gzqkE&fmt=18

Editing the default embed code to force the high quality version:
default URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nJVF9gzqkE
Note the URL in the embed code is different...
http://www.youtube.com/v/8nJVF9gzqkE&hl=en&fs=1
Now, remove the following code from the end of the video: &hl=en&fs=1
You will end up with this: http://www.youtube.com/v/8nJVF9gzqkE
so...

now add the following code to the URL:&ap=%2526fmt%3D18

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/8nJVF9gzqkE&ap=%2526fmt%3D18"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8nJVF9gzqkE&ap=%2526fmt%3D18" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

Hyperlinking in YouTube with Annotations

Hyperlinking videos in YouTube: upload your video to your YouTube account and when in Edit mode, choose the 'Annotations' feature:
using the 'callout' option you can add a title and link to a related video on YouTube. Shown here are links to the MISSILL concert at the 2006 Trans Musicales Festival in Rennes, France, as well as a more recent video clip, MISSILL Solidays 2008...

Watch the video on YouTube and check out the annotations in the last 8 seconds of the video.

Annotations: Using YouTube's Pause Option ||

YouTube offers us the a similar option using callouts, highlights and capability of adding YouTube URLs to related (or unrelated!) videos. Today I noticed an additional option when in the 'annotations' window... the || Pause option. Super! I have added it to the MISSILL machinima at the very end.. a long 9.00 minutes into the video so that I could stop the video long enough for viewers to observe and hopefully click on the callout with a URL pointing to MISSILL's 2006 Trans Musicales de Rennes concert. That worked... but how about using it as a marker? Though since my pause is only for 5 or 6 seconds.. that won't work. But, you could add a message within the video using a callout pleading with the viewer to hit the pause button on the YouTube viewer and suggesting they return to the video afterwards. This really is begging for participation... I'll try it.


Viewing the 'higher quality' version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsAGc3CZBSc&fmt=18

Annotating Images in Flickr and videos on YouTube: always moving forward without a back button!

Karuna Resource Center in Second Life, originally uploaded by HVX Silverstar.

Okay... so the annotations on Flickr images don't work outside Flickr. Hmmmm The 'Add Note' feature allows you to annotate images so that when viewers roll their cursor over the image they can view your ramblings or perhaps even useful information. It got me thinking that we could annotate real life images of our libraries in the same way... except now that I have embedded the image (here in blogger) the feature doesn't work.
I wonder if you can add URLs or SLurls (Second Life URLs) that would launch the Second Life viewer and teleport viewers to Karuna Resource Center in SL. I doubt it.. but I'll try. We can definitely add the SLurls to the image description below... I'm not sure if that gets sent in the blog post from Flickr to the user-listed blogs. I'll give it a try right after this...
OK.... so the annotations don't show up in the blog.. hmmm so you'll have to click through to Flickr to view the annotations. Testing the SLurls and URLs now... and drinking semi-warm coffee I brought in from home... thinking of walking over to Scrubs cafe here on campus to get a "real" coffee.

Embedding high quality version of YouTube videos...

Unfortunately, if you click through to YouTube on either the embedded 'normal quality' or the embedded 'high quality' of the videos, you end up on the default 'normal quality' view. So you'll need to also include the URL alongside the video that will force the 'high quality' view if the viewer wants to view on YouTube rather than embedded in your page. That includes adding the following code to the end of the default URL as shown below: &fmt=6 or &fmt=18 or &fmt=22 for the 720p HD versions.. again, this only works if the video was originally uploaded to YouTube in HD.
Cnet News has a great article on displaying the 720p HD version:

So, looking at some of the hacks around the web, such as Downloadsquad, for embedding YouTube high quality videos into third party sites... here goes...
Some Notes: Not all videos have been uploaded in higher quality, so this only works if there is already a 'high quality' link below the video.

Default normal (means LOW) quality URL on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiXymVmpvK0
High Quality URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiXymVmpvK0&fmt=6 or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiXymVmpvK0&fmt=18
Machinima title: Infolit iSchool in Second Life®

Using my example, Downloadsquad's instructions state to add the following code to the end of the URLs: &ap=%2526fmt%3D18

Unfortunately, if you click through to YouTube on any of the videos, you end up on the default 'normal quality' view. So you'll need to include the URL that will force the 'high quality' view. That includes adding the following code to the end of the default URL as shown below:

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/fiXymVmpvK0&ap=%2526fmt%3D18"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/fiXymVmpvK0&ap=%2526fmt%3D18" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>


Thanks for the reminding me how to display the HTML code, Felgall


View the 'high quality' version on YouTube:
So, Here goes for embedding the 'high quality' video:


And here is the 'normal quality' default version:



Adding the following code to the end of the 'actual' URL... from the YouTube web page... don't include all the other stuff that gets tagged on when you just copy the embed code from YouTube:
&ap=%2526fmt%3D22

Using the source code from Cnet News for displaying the 720p HD version:

<object width="630" height="380">

<param value="http://www.youtube.com/v/optUdhi_Ujg&hl&amp;ap=%2526fmt%3D22" name="movie" /><param value="window" name="wmode" />

<param value="true" name="allowFullScreen" /><embed width="630" height="380" wmode="window" allowfullscreen="true" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/optUdhi_Ujg&hl&amp;ap=%2526fmt%3D22"></embed></object>

And this is the embed code taken from YouTube with the URLs edited... no more

take the default URL and add the code to it: &ap=%2526fmt%3D22

<object width="630" height="380"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/optUdhi_Ujg&hl&amp;ap=%2526fmt%3D22"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/optUdhi_Ujg&hl&amp;ap=%2526fmt%3D22" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="630" height="380"></embed></object>

Really using the widescreen feature in YouTube by forcing the 'high quality' or uploaded HD versions with &fmt=22

Using &fmt=22
Watch the high quality by adding the &fmt22 to the end of your URL!!
"Scott, we think they're teleporting in... " Here's Scott at the Second Life Community Conference , SLCC2008, about 16 minutes before the Keynote...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10VmTdSzMnQ&fmt=22
CNET article: http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10104182-2.html
So if you upload HD video (this one is 720p - 1280x720 pixels), just add the format information and code number indicating its format size, e.g.: 720p= &fmt=22 .



For videos that have a 'high quality' option shown on the lower right of the YouTube player, you can force the 'high quality' display by adding the following format code to the URL: &fmt=6 .
Of course, anyone can set their YouTube display to ONLY show in the higher quality view by going into the 'Account' link which is at the top right of the screen (if you are logged in). Then, look to the left side of the next window, and under the 'Overview' heading you will see 'Playback Setup'. Under the 'Video Playback Settings', select the following option:
I have a fast connection. Always play higher-quality video when it's available.
So now you can share that URL which will launch the 'high quality' version.
So herein lies the dilemma; when uploading the HD version, you leave the down-converting to the default sized flv to YouTube...
How I wish we could do both.
So, the default down-converted video clip that YouTube shows is embarrassingly pixilated. Yes, we always blame ourselves for not uploading a the HD version and leaving the work to YouTube to do automatically.
So.... it occurs to me that I should create an HD sister-account where I can just upload the HD stuff and upload video for my regular account at the high end of the YouTube spec which may be changing given the new widescreen view.
See the YouTube Handbook: Best formats for uploading.
When I get a chance this week, I'll have to take a truly short clip at 1080p to see what YouTube does with it and find the format code to display...

YouTube goes to a widescreen player on the site, leaving lots of "black space" for the classic 4|3 videos

YouTube announced yesterday that they would be moving to a 960 pixel width for their video player on the YouTube site:
http://www.youtube.com/blog?entry=0i22UDAOfj8

Yesterday it was announced on their blog that they were increasing the width of the YouTube viewer to 960 pixels. This was great news to me as you can now upload even larger videos to the site.
Over the last year, YouTube's video specs have increased from 320x240 pixels and under 100 MB in comparison to the size of the more recent 640x480 pixels allowing for video files up to 1 GB, but no more than 10 minutes. These 640x480 files were ultimately displayed in the YouTube player on the site at a reduced 480x360 pixels. It was always such a shame to see your video letterboxed, cropped or squeezed to fit the viewer size. So, I am pleased with the latest news of the widescreen viewer on the page. The older 4/3 aspect ratio was a pain in the neck for anyone creating videos that were widescreen.

I was wondering what videos at the old aspect ratio of 320x240 (4|3) would look like on the now massive video player on the site:
Example No. 1: This is a 14 second machinima that is 320x240 pixels in size and was captured at 4|3 aspect ratio. This video was uploaded a couple of years ago, so a legacy YouTube example. Click on the YouTube icon to view it in the YouTube window, or follow this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ux0L3UQzXw



Actually, not so bad, but I have always tried to upload videos at the top end of the spec.

The YouTube blog post was a brief paragraph or so (with no supporting details or
updated specs for anyone interested in knowing whether the specs for video have been upgraded to HD720 - 1280x720 pixels).
The blog read, "And don't worry, your 4:3 aspect ratio videos will play just fine in the new player."
Well... there were 873 comments hit the page in the last 24 hours from the unconvinced and the pleasantly pleased subscribers.
The comments are a great read! Now you know where I spend my time.
I do agree with many of the comments and choice of adjectives relating to any of the legacy videos, particularly the postage-stamp sized 320x240 pixel videos, and I'll not be looking forward to viewing cell phone videos in the massive new viewer.

Example No. 2: So here is a video that I have just uploaded. It's a 320x240 video that was originally captured in widescreen, but shows the black letterboxing at the top and bottom of the screen (added by me). It was originally a widescreen video, 201 MB quicktime file (saved at the best possible quality after down-converting from a 1280x720 quicktime file). The audio (banging doors, and people in background) is awful.. apologies in advance.
You will need to click on the YouTube icon in order to view the video in the site... or follow this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_MXLW6K0YU



So because the file is so small (320x240) I am not being offered a 'high quality' view. That is to be expected.
None of the help pages for anyone uploading videos are easily findable.. and NONE is up to date.

You will get the best help from other users. No wonder we love to read and post comments!

Here's a search on the user help pages on 'widescreen' and nov 2008
http://help.youtube.com/support/youtube/bin/search.py?query=widescreen+nov+25+2008+Nov&ctx=en%3Asearchbox
It'a really great help community.

Just keep the video at the highest quality possible and be prepared for a lot of black space in the viewer on the YouTube site.
Users helping Users: This is pretty good but also not up to date YET.
http://www.youtube.com/user/YouTubeHelp

YouTube Handbook: this has not been updated and still contains spec for the 640x480 videos!
Wow, introducing a new service with old documentation... oh, no!
http://www.youtube.com/t/yt_handbook_home

YouTube on your Phone: (this is unrelated to the viewer):
http://www.youtube.com/mobile

More cool stuff (unrelated to YouTube though):
http://lipas.uwasa.fi/~f76998/video/conversion/#conversion_table

OVPC sporting the OLPC image

OVPC sporting the OLPC image, originally uploaded by HVX Silverstar.

I am assuming that the little green raptor is racing to Amazon.com to get an OLPC X0 laptop. Give a laptop. get a laptop. change the world. http://www.amazon.com/xo
Learn more: http://www.laptop.org
and check out the raptor sporting the OLPC image... http://www.velociraptorz.org/

OLPC - One Laptop Per Child X0 X0 X0 X0 X0 X0

Raise your credit card for the Green & White OLPC... Give one, Get one!!

Raise your credit card for the Green & White OLPC... Give one, Get one!!, originally uploaded by HVX Silverstar.

Give a laptop. get a laptop. change the world. http://www.amazon.com/xo
Learn more: http://www.laptop.org
and check out the raptor sporting the OLPC image... http://www.velociraptorz.org

OLPC - One Laptop Per Child X0 X0 X0 X0 X0 X0

One Laptop per Child XO XO XO XO XO XO XO XO XO XO... OLPC laptop!

Join the One Laptop Per Child movement by participating in any way you can at: www.laptop.org
For a short period this year, Give ONE Get ONE for US $399 at www.amazon.com/xo
or Give ONE for US $199. and send a gift to foster creativity and learning to a child who may change the world...
So it's using the university's wireless, Google Docs, Google Spreadsheets courtesy of Ken F. who has just sent me an email from the XO using Yahoo Classic.... super cool!

"Give a laptop, get a laptop, change the world."

London in April... forgot my avatar

IMG_0152, originally uploaded by SwansonFamily.

so i'll have to find a similar coat for my avatar and add her to the picture.

Virtual Ability Island in Second Life®: virtual world community and orientation for people with disabilities or chronic illness

Here is the last of the 3 part introduction to the orientation areas of Virtual Ability Island (VIA) in Second Life®.

Virtual Ability Orientation Tours with Gentle Heron and HVX Silverstar following along (me!):
ONE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVlPD4TPNp8
TWO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVzyi0MOsJM
THREE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cnyt6rASfo0
End of Part Three

Congratulations!

Where limitations are just stepping stones...
to a place with no limitations.

Virtual Ability Island... first stop...
Tour courtesy of Gentle Heron
Virtual Ability Inc.
http://www.virtualability.org
and the
Alliance Library System
Peoria, IL USA

Alliance Virtual Library blog: http://www.infoisland.org
funded by the
National Library of Medicine

Music
"Countercall"
by Jarrod Pedone ASCAP

Machinima by HVX Silverstar
Machinima Institute
in the
Info Archipelago
Alliance Virtual Library

Creative Commons Attribution
No Derivatives (by-nd)
September 2008

Filmed on location in the very beautiful Second Life®

Virtual Ability: Orientation TWO in Second Life® (part 2)

Join Gentle Heron for Part TWO of the tour of the orientation areas of Virtual Ability Island. Gentle will be showing some of the instructional design features in the specialized virtual world orientation area or people with disabilities or chronic illnesses.
Virtual Ability is a joint project of Alliance Library System and Virtual Ability Inc., 'Share the Health' funded by the National Library of Medicine.
Visit Healthinfo Island or the log at http://www.healthinfoisland.org
and http://www.virtualability.org
Drop by the reference patio on Info international Island in Second Life to find out more from the Alliance Library System's projects in Second Life.®
Don't miss Part ONE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVlPD4TPNp8
This one: Part TWO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVzyi0MOsJM
and the final segment, Part THREE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cnyt6rASfo0
Flickr screen captures from the video: http://www.flickr.com/photos/photolibraries/sets/72157608761236669/

Virtual Ability: Orientation ONE in Second Life® (part 1)

Join Gentle Heron for Part TWO of the tour of the orientation areas of Virtual Ability Island. Gentle will be showing some of the instructional design and assessment features in the specialized virtual world orientation area or people with disabilities or chronic illnesses.
Virtual Ability is a joint project of Alliance Library System and Virtual Ability Inc., 'Share the Health' funded by the National Library of Medicine.
Visit Healthinfo Island or the log at http://www.healthinfoisland.org
and http://www.virtualability.org
Drop by the reference patio on Info international Island in Second Life to find out more from the Alliance Library System's projects in Second Life.®

Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/photolibraries/sets/72157608761236669/

"...at this defining moment, change has come to America..."

President Elect Barack Obama!
"You have earned the new puppy that is coming with us to the Whitehouse!"

Dancing in the Air in Second Life!! Congratulations President Elect Barack Obama!

Obama Celebrations!, originally uploaded by HVX Silverstar.

Thank you!!

Barack Obama in 30 minutes & the the machinima...

From the YouTube site: hhttp://www.youtube.com/user/BarackObamadotcom

I am Library: an ode to self-discovery & collective creativity in Second Life®

I am Library: an ode to self-discovery and collective creativity in Second Life ®

From: hvxsilverstar, 1 day ago

I am Library: an ode to self-discovery and collective creativity in Second Life ®

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: singapore 2008)

http://www.bridgingworlds.sg/index.html


Accompanying video on blip.tv (best quality) and also on YouTube:
I am Library: an ode to self-discovery and collective creativity in Second Life®

Video (machinima):
Watch the video on Blip.tv at: http://libraryfamous.blip.tv/#1387219

or on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cM5ze9M3AJ4
(be sure to watch the High Quality version – see the link at the bottom of the YouTube video window on the lower right side)

The paper and accompanying presentation were given at the Bridging Worlds Conference in Singapore, Oct 16-17, 2008, exploring the library experience in Second Life. The video takes us on a visual journey through the virtual environment; meeting some of the librarians and educators, collaborators and partners. It introduces virtual worlds and their increasing significance to the library and educational communities, show-casing the work of the Alliance Virtual Library (AVL) founded and coordinated by the Alliance Library System of Peoria, Illinois, USA. Over the last 2.5 years, AVL has explored what it would be like to provide library services in virtual worlds, beginning with one librarian on a parcel of virtual land to a footprint that now comprises 50 islands, the virtual equivalent of 1.26 square miles, the size of Angel Island, standing proud and strong in the San Francisco Bay.
What are some of the issues and ongoing challenges facing libraries as they consider the creation of a virtual presence? What does a library “feel like” in a virtual world? (see accompanying video) How are libraries integrating Second Life with social networking sites such as FaceBook, Twitter, Delicious, YouTube, blogs and their existing web sites? Join us for this virtual world exploration and new media demonstration, I am Library.


SlideShare Link

SIA famous Kebaya and Sarong

DSC04453, originally uploaded by HVX Silverstar.

Singapore Airlines' famous Kebaya and Sarong uniforms by Pierre Balmain.

Bridge my world! 15 hours to Singapore backwards and forwards

Bridging Worlds 2008 in Singapore was hosted by the National Library Board at the Intercontinental Hotel and the National Library in the centre of bustling Singapore. Inspiration was the "take-home" for me... from Jenny Levine's enlightening analysis of the history of libraries placing us now firmly in the 8th age... layering Web 2.0 with practical and creative personalized uses in libraries and educational institutions. Brian Kelly kept up the practical side, both in his questions to the panels and in his presentation addressing risk management of web 2.0 tools.

How big is the Alliance Virtual Library in Second Life® ?

Slide18, originally uploaded by HVX Silverstar.

How big is the Alliance Virtual Library in Second Life?

V-e-e-e-e-r-y big and very cool!
Alliance Virtual Library: 50 Islands – virtual equivalent of 1.26 square miles (within the 380 square miles of Second Life, almost 3 times the size of Singapore).

The Second Life Library opened in April 2006 on a 4,000 square meter patch of leased land. By May 2006 they received an anonymous donation of an island (65,536 square meters). The Second Life Library is a collaborative project led by the Alliance Library System (ALS), based in Peoria, Illinois, USA and is led by Executive Director Kitty Pope with Innovation Librarian, Lori Bell. ALS coordinates the activities for the Alliance Virtual Library and the efforts of many library volunteers from around the world. The daily operations in SL are overseen by Rhonda Trueman (Abbey Zenith in SL). In 2007, the Second Life Library was the winner of the ALA Information Today’s Library of the Future and one of six Sirsi-Dynix Building Better Community awards. The Alliance Virtual Library recently had to move its land mass to a new area in the grid to allow room for growth.

The momentum continues. Alliance Virtual Library (core library islands and partner islands) has grown to a land mass of 50 islands. So the Alliance Virtual Library community now has a footprint of 1.26 square miles! (810 acres or 1.26 square miles or 3.28 square km). One of the Cybrary Islands alone is home to over 40 independent libraries /organizations from around the world. Further numbers include the 1500 Friends of the Library in the “in world” group, 755+ declared Librarians on the google group:
http://groups.google.com/group/alliancesecondlife and 800+ in the many “in world” groups in Second Life.

Real Avatars: where the worlds are synthetic and the avatars are real

real_avatars, originally uploaded by HVX Silverstar.

You know the place... it's a world you frequent and on a drop down list at Avatars United. http://www.avatarsunited.com
Join the Real Avatars group...
Something to add to our profile white space... hahaha

as long as you are a real avatar doing real work in a real environment and really enjoying it! Yea, avatar spirit and exclamation marks

"synthetic" taken from 'Exodus to the Virtual World: how online fun is changing reality' by the very cool Edward Castronova, author of 'Synthetic Worlds: The Business and Culture of Online Games'....

should be in libraries everywhere

Show me thy Facebook Friends: visualization with interactive lines and connections to friends

Friend Wheel by Thomas Fletcher of Bath...
http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=2415325843
The wheels of friendship... random colors of friendship are just a few selections away. Oh, my beautiful friend wheel.. interactive Flash, originally uploaded by HVX Silverstar.

But.. Oh, my beautiful friend wheel.. interactive Flash wheel available in Facebook. The circle shows part of a social network. Around the edge of the circle are my friends; they are connected by an interactive line... as are the groups when you choose to show association between friends or groups.

Journal of Virtual Worlds Research: http://jvwresearch.org/

Journal of Virtual Worlds Research: http://jvwresearch.org/, originally uploaded by HVX Silverstar.

Volume 1, Number 1, ISSN: 1941-8477, "Virtual Worlds Research: Past, Present & Future."
an open-access, peer reviewed, transdisciplinary journal....
Snippet from the web site:
"The Journal of Virtual Worlds Research is an online, open access academic journal that adheres to the highest standards of peer review and engages established and emerging scholars from anywhere in the world. The Journal of Virtual Worlds Research is a transdisciplinary journal that engages a wide spectrum of scholarship and welcomes contributions from the many disciplines and approaches that intersect virtual worlds research."
http://jvwresearch.org/

'Open Mind' Keynote Presentation at Open Holland by Claudia L'Amoreaux (Linden) this morning

http://www.vuvox.com/collage/detail/09f6e15d8

Take a class in Second Life & set your camera and imagination free

Jousting practice on location at Renaissance Island in the very beautiful Second Life.

Haha, watch out for that horse! Capture video and great snapshots using your camera controls and third-party video capture software in Second Life. Expand your sets and possibilities, learn to build and script objects in Second Life.. and lastly, learn about machinima workflow for creating your own videos.
Join Pipsqueak Fiddlesticks (Denise) and HVX Silverstar (Bernadette) for the October Virtual Worlds CE Series
- Continuing education (CE)non-credit courses presented by the Illinois Alliance Library System and GSLIS, University of Illinois Urbana Champagne.
The sessions are offered every Tuesday evening from 6:00-8:00 PM PDT with office hours for follow-up help offered later each week.
I cover the camera controls and machinima workflow and Denise covers the intro to building and scripting.
System requirements for using Second Life: http://secondlife.com/support/sysreqs.php

Technical skills for the Virtual World of Second Life: Introduction to
Camera Controls, Building, Scripting and Machinima Workflow.

http://www.lis.uiuc.edu/programs/cpd/VW/tech.html


Week One: Camera controls - Hands-on session using the camera controls and shortcuts. Activities include taking snapshots, exploring the snapshot menus and taking high resolution images, and capturing colors, depth and object mattes. The camera controls are used for building and viewing objects close-up or off in the distance, for taking more creative snapshots and also for basic camera movement for filming machinima.
Snapshot Activity: Take a series of snapshots using camera controls, shortcuts and options in the snapshot window. Post snapshots to the class Flickr group (optional).
So, if you are ready for the RAW unedited capture of my avatar practicing camera controls at Camera Controls islet on Machinima Institute Island... take a look: http://blip.tv/file/1148372



Week Two: Basics of Building session - Students will learn about SL primitives (building "blocks"), the build-edit window, manipulating & positioning prims, texturing, linking and setting permissions on their objects. Students will create an object that they will make interactive in the week 4 scripting session. A selection of "DYI kits" will be available to students to choose from for this activity.

Week Three: Basics of Scripting session - Students will learn the basic elements of the LSL scripting language (no coding experience required!) and will focus on using freely available scripting tools, customizing/modifying open source scripts, using the LSL code editor and adding scripts to objects. Troubleshooting script issues will be covered. In-world and web resources will be provided, as well as a open source script package for beginners as a take-away.

Week Four: Machinima Workflow - What do you need to film in SL? A look at workflow for creating machinima (filming, additional third-party software); displaying machinima on the web (YouTube, Blip.tv or other host sites); streaming video or machinima into SL). No software required for this portion of the class.

Machinima Activity: (optional) using camera controls and shortcuts when capturing machinima in SL. (Third-party software required for macs and windows vista; Second Life built-in movie capture can be used on some computers running Windows XP).
Slideshow Activity: Alternatively, students can use camera controls to capture a variety of artistic snapshots for creating photo slideshows online or on their computers.

Instructors: Bernadette Swanson (HVX Silverstar) and Denise Cote (Pipsqueak Fiddlesticks)
Audience: Open to anyone interested in improving their SL technical skills. Students should feel comfortable navigating in Second life or have taken Second Life 101. Dates and times: Tuesdays, October 7, 14, 21, 28 from 6:00 - 8:00 PM SL (US Pacific) time
Location: Second Life
Cost: $150

REGISTER NOW

Course Technology

The two-hour synchronous sessions will meet online in Second Life.

Participants will need a reliable Internet connection via DSL or cable in addition to the following hardware and software SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS. IMPORTANT: Please ensure you can meet these requirements before registering for a course. Check your system against the requirements carefully especially your graphics/video card.

If you have questions, contact Marianne Steadley,
http://www.lis.uiuc.edu/programs/cpd/VW/tech.html

Twittering using #slcc08 hash tag

#slcc08 Pathfinder: "The plural of anecdote is not data!" Claudia: and that's a great t-shirt!
#slcc08 talking with Dodger Metzer... Gentle Heron's friend from Virtual Ability Island http://tinyurl.com/662k7d
#slcc08 Pathfinder, "yes, we'll talk to your administration" - look at the press link on the sl site - they will speak at your university

Pathfinder and Claudia: keynote at SLedCC and the converstation

Claudia Llinden is honouring the many educators and volunteers both here in Tampa and in SL currently! Yea, all of us!
Pathfinder, "This is a conference about people making real world change."
Claudia is now talking about the pilot program for educators.. working with ISTE. Eduserv was also acknowledged. Go Andy (Art Fosset in SL). Working on an experimental pathway in developing the design of it... http://www.secondlife.net
Pathfinder is telling us that his current avatar is a compilation of parts created over the the last few years.. and has his 2005 badge as evidence. He is challenging us to work and experiment outside our own expertise... take a look at HUB2.. it's an ecosystem.. people coming together .. collaboration coming from different worlds...http://hub2.org
Flickr stream, Not Possible in Real Life.. Pathfinder asks us to think about we we couldn't do in real life....
Claudia's Education Report is something that is read by those at Linden Lab... she is asking us to share even the barriers that we are experiencing with our administrations, as well as what we are doing...
Here is a question from SL. How long will we have to wait to get a registration API and link it to our LDAPs...
Claudia said it is pretty complex and it is definitely moving...
So who is 'M'... Mark. Rank these things... Pathfinder: What do they need yesterday?
Virtual Ability Island in SL has just been mentioned, specifically their recent opening of the island: http://www.virtualability.org/ also the development of a 'seeing eye dog" for people with disabilities. If you are interested in this, drop a notecard on Pathfinder... a multi-disciplinary effort, collaborate effort.

Here at SLCC 2008 in Tampa

Claudia and Pathfinder are setting up for the keynote in the Grand Ballroom. Scott, Bella and Jeremy are working on a live feed through sponsor, Veodia. Avatars are still teleporting in and as I scan the room, there are clouds rezzing and Starbucks' coffee cups moving through the room. Ah.... another Second Life Community Conference. Check out Scott Merrick's live Veodia feed from the ballroom... http://scottsecondlife.blogspot.com/2008/09/veodia-channel-embed-for-sledcc.html
Scroll down the page to the Veodia link. http://slconvention.org

A busy Labor Day in SL today...

Second Life.. let me back on..., originally uploaded by HVX Silverstar.

So we should all take a rest...
http://status.secondlifegrid.net/
go outside or watch the Bruins beat Tennessee on TV.. .or better still at the Rose Bowl. Go-o-o-o-o-o, Band, go!

Second Life.. let me back on... message at 5:07 PM SLT

Second Life.. let me back on... messge, originally uploaded by HVX Silverstar.

ThinC Press and ThinC Book need your vote on the Jira! I was trying to create a ThinC Book for Virtual Worlds, Real Libraries.

Virtual Worlds RealLibraries ThinC Press and ThinC Book, originally uploaded by HVX Silverstar.

HVX Silverstar: Hi there,
This came up today for me as I was trying to make a ThinC book for Abbey and Lori and found that my antiquated ThinC press for making multiple copies would no longer work. It seems that none of the versions are working properly now due to this bug.
Please vote on the bug that is currently causing havoc with Toneless Tomba's very cool (librarians love it) ThinC Press.
https://jira.secondlife.com/browse/SVC-2938?ticket=ST-2289-cNk4hs9jYBCfWPLpCcnDhNmURfIvlzvzYpe-20

[20:49] HVX Silverstar: You will need to log into the Jira server using your SL name and password. The log in link is at the top right of the page.

You will find the "Votes" link at the left of the page in the margin. There are currently 95 votes and 22 people watching the progress.. well, we hope progress.

Don't forget to order the book for your library: http://infotoday.stores.yahoo.net/viworeli.html

Second Life and Public Health: machinima by Health Sciences Library, University of Michigan

Here's a super machinima from the Health Sciences Library at University of Michigan, August. 2008.
"The University of Michigan's Health Sciences Libraries have produced a video highlighting Second Life and Public Health. Second Life is a virtual world through which an active public health community is simulating disaster scenarios, creating interactive health games, offering people with disabilities a place for support and social networking, and providing a space for professionals to view presentations and attend international conferences. This video showcases the potential of this new media." Anne Perez

Come with me as I log into Second Life for the Grand Opening of the Virtual Ability Island to celebrate real possibilities virtually

Welcome to the Grand Opening of Virtual Ability Island.
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Virtual%2...

Funding came through an initial grant from the National Library of Medicine to the Alliance Library System and is sustained by the generosity of individual contributors to Virtual Ability, Inc.

Virtual Ability, Inc. is a Non-profit, Tax-Exempt Organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code and is
based in Colorado, USA.

Their mission is to enable people with a wide range of disabilities
to enter into virtual worlds like Second Life®, and provide them
with a supporting environment once there.

Your donation is deductible as a charitable donation
for federal income tax purposes in the United States.
Heron Sanctuary, Alliance Library System (Alliance Virtual Library), and a million thanks to all of the donors, volunteers and visitors.

Funded in part through a grant National Institute of Health (NIH)
and sustained by the hard work & generosity of donors and many volunteers.

Your generous contribution of $100, $50, or even $20 will allow us
to expand our services supporting people with disabilities in virtual worlds like Second Life.

100% of funds raised go toward the costs of operating and providing
the services of Virtual Ability, Inc.

http://www.virtualability.org/

info@VirtualAbility.org

Music:
Skyward ~ Big Dog Music
WarriorDance ~ Dorje Productions
Benediction ~ Lynne Publishing
Exploration ~ Cassidy Bisher

2008
Creative Commons Attribution
Share Alike 3.0 (by-sa)

Machinima: HVX Silverstar
Machinima Institute
in the very beautiful Second Life®

Location:
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Virtual%2...

Contact:
Carolina Keats or Eme Capalini and Gentle Heron in SL, for more information.

View of the Virtual Ability Grand Opening through Final Cut Pro

LogA nd Transfer Virtual Ability Eme honoring the builders, originally uploaded by HVX Silverstar.

HVX logs into Second Life to attend Virtual Ability Grand Opening. Eme Capilini in the foreground honoring the talented builders, Sabine Stonebender, Sambivalent Spork and Anhayler Lycia.

Virtual Ability Ribbon Cutting by Gentle Heron

Virtual Ability Ribbon Cutting by Gentle Heron, originally uploaded by HVX Silverstar.

Today was the opening of Virtual Ability Island in the very beautiful Second Life. I use "very beautiful" rather loosely in many of my posts... but today was beautiful, inspiring and extremely moving. The auditorium. The ribbon was cut by Gentle Heron (also of Heron Sanctuary on Eduisland 4) in honor of The Sojourner who passed away just recently. Take a moment to meet the people of the Virtual Ability community: Dusty, Kat and Namrav: http://www.virtualability.org/page9.html
The project was begun with a grant to the Alliance Library System (now Alliance Virtual Library in SL) from the National Library of Medicine. The project has been able to continue on by the generosity of individual contributors to Virtual Ability, Inc. , a non-profit W(3)c organization.

Paste the SLurl into your browser's address bar:
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Virtual%20Ability/128/128/23

For further information about this wondrous project, contact Carolina Keats or Eme Capalini in SL.

Machinima Sandbox One...

Slide2, originally uploaded by HVX Silverstar.

So how will a sandbox help me with my filmmaking skills in SL? Well, we can start with basics such as streaming video into SL, or trying out the streaming audio feature that you may want to use in your machinima. And how about trying out various gestures and that great scripted furniture or mini sets we're seeing in SL. The other instructional islets a the Machinima Institute include Camera Controls One and the Machinima Factory.

Watching Bottle Shock trailer at the Golden State Garden Cafe

Watching Bottle Shock trailer at the Golden State Garden Cafe, originally uploaded by HVX Silverstar.

Watching Bottle Shock trailer at the Golden State Garden Cafe on Eduisland 3 in the very beautiful Second Life. Happy Birthday, Hyacinth!

Avatar PowerPoints....

TuesAug12Class, originally uploaded by HVX Silverstar.

Hi Bill, we love PowerPoint... well, in Second Life we do! It's a great tool for creating images that can be shown on screens, placed against the dark skies of midnight.... and super for signage.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/photolibraries/sets/72157606685932797/
This set includes Class #1: Camera Controls, and Class #2: Machinima Workflow & much more.
Held on Camera Controls 1 Islet, Machinma Institute Island in the very beautiful Second Life.

Pan, Orbit, Alt-zoom and feeling the breeze in your hair...

machinimaIslandCameraControlArt9j, originally uploaded by HVX Silverstar.

Am I that transparent? Extreme concentration while navigating Daruma Picnic's extraordinary interactive/immersive art experiences on the Camera Controls I islet, Machinima Institute... as always... "in the very beautiful Second Life"

SLURL for Machinima Institute Camera Controls One islet

SL MachinimaInstituteSLURL, originally uploaded by HVX Silverstar.

Pipsqueak Fiddlesticks and I (HVX Silverstar) will be covering the following topics in the University of Illinois continuing education class being offered in Second Life through the Graduate School of Library & Information Science and the Alliance Virtual Library in the very beautiful Second Life.
www.lis.uiuc.edu/programs/cpd/VW/tech.html

Class: Technical Skills for the Virtual World of Second Life
Dates/times: (Tuesdays, August 5, 12, 19, and 26) to be held from 6-8 pm Second life time.
The first two classes, Aug 5 and Aug 12 to be held on Machinima Institute Island. Teleport directly OR IM me for a teleport: slurl.com/secondlife/Machinima%20Institute/218/114/23
You will land on the Camera Controls One island where we will be working.
Location: Weeks 1 & 2: Machinima Institute Island
Weeks 3 & 4: Eduisland 3 (next to Machinima Institute). IM us for a teleport or use the SLURLs.

Let's begin on Camera Controls One

SnapshotCameraControlsOneAdvertisement, originally uploaded by HVX Silverstar.

IM me for a teleport if you need it.
On Machinima Institute Island, I have 3 of the 12 islets populated with prims of all sorts to be used for introductory machinima classes. Take a look around: Krull Aeono's wonderful virtual reality environment is at one edge of the island; the Machinima Factory and Cafe is at the other end (complete with lots of junk scattered around on both floors). Try out the machiniAlliance Virtual Library, building, camera controls, Education and Machinima, GSLIS, HVX Silverstar, libraries,ma sets by Pendullum on the lower level and second story of the factory.
Class slides: http://www.flickr.com/photos/photolibraries/sets/72157606554895495/
Find out more about the class offered by UIUC GLSIS Continuing Education series with Alliance Library System: http://www.lis.uiuc.edu/programs/cpd/VW/tech.html
Look forward to more classes from UIUC/AVL in the autumn!

Avatars Love Endnote X2: celebrating the completion of my ACRL Immersion instructional scenario in the wee hours of the morning...

Snapshot_013, originally uploaded by HVX Silverstar.

So, I'm waiting for the Mac version of Endnote that's supposed to be coming out in September. Hmmm that would mean teleporting to RL to use it. So, hoping for a Second Life version for my birthday. That would be in December, oh, Marketing Deparment at Thompson Scientific Endnote!
Snapshot taken in the snowy interior of the old Machinima Institute site. On location in the very beautiful Second Life.
Pictures from ACRL Immersion 2008, University of California San Diego (UCSB):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/photolibraries/sets/72157606451119833/

Dora Phlox and HVX Silverstar coming to you live from ACRL Immersion

Dora Phlox and HVX Silverstar, originally uploaded by HVX Silverstar.

Dora and HVX chatting about learning outcomes and figuring out their Kolb learning styles...
Coming to you live from ACRL Immersion 2008 from beautiful University of California San Diego in La Jolla, California. Yea, librarians!

ACRL Immersion Program: http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlissues/acrlinfolit/professactivity/iil/immersion/immersion08.cfm

Rose Colored Glasses: introduction to camera controls and machinima

Closeup Rose Colored Glasses 026, originally uploaded by HVX Silverstar.

Technical Skills for Second Life are offered through University of Illinois Urbana Champagne and Alliance Virtual Library with Pipsqueak and HVX. Pipsqueek's location (Eduisland 3):
Class will include 4 evening sessions on Tuesdays 6:00-8:00 PM SLT. Camera Controls, Machinima Workflow, Basic Building and Scripting begin August 5th.

For more information:
www.lis.uiuc.edu/programs/cpd/VW/tech.html

8 hours on the teen grid: Saturday in Second Life

You are currently watching the crummy 320x240 version. Don't watch it!!

Watch a higher quality version of the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sX1ALOO_X1w

On the YouTube site, click on the link below the number of views... lower right side of the video.
Now, that's better.... 480x360 instead of 320x240. Other new features on Youtube include the 'annotations' and linking to other Youtube videos from the annotations. Well, now I'm waiting for text messages overlaying video...

Moving to a new island...

Machinima Institute: old and new, originally uploaded by HVX Silverstar.

My first inclination would be to grab a towel and my ipod and head for the beach, but on second thought... I'll purchase a watercraft so I can scout out the routes. As for workflow... should I start at the end or the beginning?

So what does an island look like?

Three days into Summer: June 24th in Second Life, originally uploaded by HVX Silverstar.

Shown here are two islands in the Information Archipelago, managed by Alliance Library System / Alliance Virtual Library. Eduisland 3 is seen on the left with the Machinima Institute located on the SW corner (4096 plot) on Eduisland 3 (60, 30, 22).


On the right is the newly delivered island awaiting a new terrain.
I have been checking out the terrains created by Avatrian:http://www.avatrian.com

The Terrain Factory offers a variety of environmental themes influenced by real life g eography and virtual environments: Some of my favorites were Iceland,Lake Victoria, Natural Fortress and the 12 island raw file, Overook, that promises to turn the mountain isle into a divided instructional location. I will be subdividing the island to take advantage of separate media settings for the smaller isles.

The Terrain Factory:
http://www.avatrian.com/terrainfactory.php

New island for Machinima Institute

Three days into Summer: June 24th in Second Life, originally uploaded by HVX Silverstar.

The Machinima Institute & Cafe is currently located on the SW corner of Eduisland 3 on a 4096 sq. meter plot that is leased from Alliance Virtual Library. Look for us on the new island south of Eduisland 3, to be called Machinima Institute. This snapshot shows HVX Silverstar flying over current location...

I am Librarian. I am Avatar.

From: hvxsilverstar, 5 hours ago

| View | Upload your own

Bernadette Daly Swanson - HVX Silverstar in Second Life
Reference/Instruction Librarian - University of California Davis Libraries

ELAG 2008 Conference - Rethinking the Library - 14-16 April 2008
European Libraries Automation Group | ELAG2008
Wageningen University & Research Center - The Netherlands


SlideShare Link

SL™ + 2 generic nouns meets the guidelines.. but what about tags?

So, SL Machinima Librarians actually did meet with the new guidelines for using the Second Life™ trademarks.

License To Use SL™ or inSL™...
http:
//secondlife.com/corporate/brand/trademark/sl_insl.php#guidelines

But what about tagging? I have added Second Life, brand, SL,

Terrain-ing in Second Life: journey into Avatrian's Terrain Factory & Book of Creations

Book of Creations: The Terrain Factory, originally uploaded by Avatrian.

So, I'm floating through Avatrian's terrain factory via Flickr looking for a terrain for a new island.
Book of Creations: The Terrain Factory.

http://www.avatrian.com/terrainfactory.php

Clematide: in search of a machinima script

Great fun in Wastelands... for the Sunday machinima showing.
The video was captured in Second Life using SnapzProx. The SL viewer: 1.20 Release Candidate 8 with built-in lip sync by Mike Monowski. Yea, Mike!!

Directory of Libraries & Organizations in Second Life

Slide42, originally uploaded by HVX Silverstar.

From Stolvano Barbosa and the wonderful volunteers who worked on the database.

Getting a Second Life: Join, Create an Avatar, Download Software, Log in to the virtual world.

This is a quick machinima showing the process of creating a Second Life account and logging into the virtual world:

Go to the web site: http://www.secondlife.com
Click on the JOIN button (orange)
Select a name and give your email address. Names cannot be changed.
You will receive confirmation of your account in your email (confirm the account by going to your email and clicking on the link)
You will now be asked to select an avatar and gender for the avatar. Avatars and gender can be changed once you are in Second Life.
Follow the link provided to download the software from the web site.
Install the software on your computer.
Launch the Second Life application and log in using your Second Life username (first and last name) and password (keep this a secret)
You will land on one of the many help islands for orientation.
You will see a Heads Up Device (HUD) on your screen with instructions to guide you through the various tutorials.
Repeat the tutorials and try out others on help island.
Don't be in too much of a rush to leave to go into Second Life.http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif
Take the time to become comfortable and ask for help.
Once comfortable, you can teleport to the 'exit island' and hang out a bit there to hone your newly acquired skills.
When ready, just teleport right out of there!
Welcome to your Second Life.
First stop: Info International Island in the Info Archipelago:
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Info%20Island%20International/128/128/0
Systems Requirements:
Download Second Life: http://secondlife.com/support/downloads.php

New Media Symposium Conference on Mashups: April. 1-2, 2008

SnapshotConfessionsMashup_006, originally uploaded by HVX Silverstar.

Another great conference by NMC being offered in Second Life and via the LearningTimes site using Adobe Connect. The keynote was delivered by Wayne Hodgins via satellite from a sailboat in La Paz. Along with his first mate pup, he provided clarity to the web 2.0 and mashup picture. Brilliant! Brian Lamb's 'Confessions of a Mashup Un-Artist' had people dancing on the old school bus and in the air... it was dead inspiring and made me want to run home and layer a few tracks in one of these audio packages so infrequently use. I'll provide the link shortly.
Other sessions that I managed to catch included: mashup Contest at Upenn: Copyright and Free Culture which provided us with an enviable view of their library commons offering audio, video and other popular software, along with specialized staff in IT services, time management, writing, research by the librarians and a super lab with equipment for digitizing video and audio

Mystery Manor through the SL Release Candidate 1_19_1_4

mysterymanor2, originally uploaded by HVX Silverstar.

the glow... the mystery... the manor...
through Release Candidate 1_19_1_4.

html and jambina almost on a prim

html and jambina almost on a prim, originally uploaded by HVX Silverstar.

yea!

HTML on a prim showing my blog: refresh is working

html on a prim showing my blog: refresh is working, originally uploaded by HVX Silverstar.

Yea, I love this!
Super cool.... everyone is going to be updating their work on the web for a quick-fix refresh in SL. Ha, who would have thought.

New Media Consortium Conference on Mashups

New Media Consortium Mashups, originally uploaded by HVX Silverstar.

Should be working, but i'm messing with the sky a bit in the SL Release Candidate 1_19_1_4. The snapshot shortcut (ctrl-shift-s) feature is not working. So, I'm updating the blog to check the HTML on a prim feature... we'll see in a minute.

and I rose... for the Picnik

hvx... and I rose, originally uploaded by HVX Silverstar.

up from the waters at the edge of my sim...
How about that... Flickr's online image editing feature Picnik with advanced image editing for about US $2.00 a month.
Very cool...http://www.flickr.com/help/picnik/